Hello,My name Is Michael, 25 years old living In Florida and and I am picking up my 8 week old female APBT next Tuesday from the Kennel. The mother is a blue brindle and the father is a blue tri. Both parents are UKC registered with 7 generations deep, making her Purple RIbbon status. I am inbetween the Names Skylar or Irie, or perhaps call her Skylar Irie.

I have been around Pitbulls for years and my roommate currently has a APBT Service Dog which is wheremy love for the Pitbull has grown. My favorite character about Pitbulls besides their raw power, is there extreme loyalty. Many people I know personally have a negative view on Pitbulls and I look forward to proving them wrong and that the APBT is a misunderstood breed, and that people have been blaming the wrong end of the Leash. my career is a Project Manag for a big Construction Company and I live a very active lifestyle that my APBT will be able to enjoy by my side. My girlfriend is also a huge supporter in my choosing of the APBT to be a member of our family.

Also, I would like to state, My APBT will be trained by me for Service Dog Status and also for Dog Shows.

Any links or recommendations for training and diets would be very much appreciated, as well as any subjects you recommend for me to read up on. I am all about research and do not mind reading at all, as I have alread done a significant amount of research and would like to be an expert in the breed. I look foward to my Years with my APBT and hopefully a couple more.

Welcome! I'm glad you have such goals for her, and I'd love to watch her blossom over the years! She sure is cute! As a side note, Purple Ribbon means nothing really. Do the parents have any titles? Have they been health and OFA tested? Why did they breed a tri with a brindle? What area of FL are you in? I'm from Tampa and Pensacola and can't wait to move back! Is there a reason you didn't consider adopting from a pit bull rescue? Many of us show/compete with our rescues, as well as have them therapy and/or SD certified. Just trying to understand why you went with a breeder. Responsible breeders are hard to come by, and I do support the few that are out there

I live in Miami so they are currently banned and are few in Shelters from my understanding and research. The parents do not have any titles and I do not know if they are health and OFA tested, now I know to ask tomorrow. Any recommendations you can give as far as SD certification, I know they are all scams, but wondering where most people here go for the paperwork, vests, badges and such.

Miami... I think you either should move to an area where its legal to have a pit bull, or choose a different breed. If/when you get caught the dog will be the one to pay the price with its life. That sounds so selfish to me that you are wanting to do this. You aren't going to get any support here by risking this. Please reconsider what you are doing and stick around here for some knowledge and such.

I'm training it to be a Service Dog, becuase i have the diagnosis and therefore she will be legal. Federal law supercedes county law. I understand youre concerns, and it is greatly appreciated, but as i said, my roommates is also legal and we know how to go about this legally.

Just because they're illegal doesn't mean it's right, if no one will take the chance to show the true character of this dog, then the breed will continue to be illegal.

Also, if this forum does not offer any support, are you doing any better by denying someone who wants to raise the dog with all of the best intentions? and who will regardless of support from a forum, will be raising this puppy, so I hope to have the help of the forum, in sight of raising her to the best of her potential.

We support people with all kinds of situations. We, however, do not support backyard breeders, illegal things, nor people that knowingly risk our breed of choice. You are getting this dog from a BYB, you are bringing it in illegally...that's what I have a problem with. If you need a service dog, and want it to be a pit bull, there are organizations that can help you. Especially if you are a military vet, there is an awesome SD program out of Tampa area for military vets.

I am not doing anything illegal, as I have said I have the diagnosis to make this legal, therefore not putting a dogs life at risk. Dare I ask who you are and if you're in such a position to speak on behalf of the community? As far as I am conceived you are one individual with an opinion.

Also, I am not a veteran, and if you knew anything about places where the train Service Dogs, there is a long waiting list and not the easiest to acquire. Why go through the complicated process when I can easily do it on my own as I have a service dog and training handler in my own home?

I am a veteran with my own disabilities. I've also been doing pit bull rescue in FL for years pulling/saving dogs out of Miami...until I recently came to VA. I was the director of one of the orgs I worked with. I'm in the process of coming back to FL. I still do lots of work with groups in central FL and Miami trying to help change the BSL, plus advocating for the breed.

I understand you need/want a service dog, and you want it to be a pit bull. I don't have an issue with that. What I do have an issue with is you are in Miami, and what are you going to do until the dog is certified SD? It takes a long time to get there, especially since you are getting an 8 week old pup. You will have to go thru basic training, CGC, etc before even getting ready to train for your SD needs. Until the dog is in training for SD, it will be considered illegal. What's to keep Miami AC from taking and euthenizing the dog until then?

Your previous posts said your roommate had a SD, not that they were a SD trainer/handler. Are they qualified to train other dogs? Do you both have the same disability? Have you researched the process for getting a dog SD certified?

The one thing stopping Miami AC from taking the dog away, is that there is no standard or real registry for Service Dog Certification, there are no actual requirements to say that a dog Is a service dog besides the basic principles that a dog must act and conform to in a social setting. Also, there is no certification or training for a person to be a Serice Dog Trainer I can actually go on a website called USSDR, register the dog in 30 seconds and get a Certification No. And slap the number on a dog tag and call it a service dog in training and I'm good To go.

Whether or not this is the route I will be choosing is a different story.

If you really have trained service dogs in the past, you will know that what I'm saying is 100% correct.